"R.A.M.O.N.E.S." is a song first recorded by the British rock band

Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1975 by bassist and lead vocalist Lemmy Kilmister, guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox. Kilmister was the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band a ...

on their 1991 album ''

1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Empire, British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that has been stored ...

'' as a tribute to their friends and contemporaries, the

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of th ...

History

The bands were long-standing admirers of each other's work. Critic Andy Boot, reviewing the album in ''

Kerrang ''Kerrang!'' is a British music webzine and quarterly magazine that primarily covers rock, punk and heavy metal music. Since 2017, the magazine has been published by Wasted Talent Ltd (the same company that owns electronic music publication ...

'' (27 February 1991) described the song as "the icing on a very fine, if somewhat heavy, cake."

Joey Ramone Jeffrey Ross Hyman (May 19, 1951 – April 15, 2001), known professionally as Joey Ramone, was an American singer, songwriter, and the lead vocalist and founding member of the punk rock band Ramones, with Johnny Ramone and Dee Dee Ramone. His ...

said of the track: "It was the ultimate honor - like John Lennon writing a song for you". The track was first aired before Phil Taylor and

Würzel Michael Richard Burston (23 October 1949 – 9 July 2011), commonly known by the stage name Würzel, was an English musician who played professionally for three decades. He played guitar in British rock band Motörhead from 1984 to 1995,

left the band. The Ramones also performed it on and off until their final show in August 1996, during which C.J. Ramone and

Lemmy Ian Fraser Kilmister (24 December 1945 – 28 December 2015), better known as Lemmy Kilmister or simply Lemmy, was a British musician. He was the founder, lead vocalist, bassist and primary songwriter of the metal band Motörhead, of which he ...

shared lead vocals. Two different studio versions were recorded. One appears as a bonus track on their album ''

¡Adios Amigos! ''¡Adios Amigos!'' (in Spanish, "Goodbye Friends") is the fourteenth and final studio album by the American punk rock band Ramones. It was released on July 18, 1995, through Radioactive Records. The Ramones disbanded a year after its release a ...

'' with C.J. Ramone singing lead vocals and the other one on the '' Greatest Hits Live'' with

singing lead vocals. The Huntingtons also covered this song on their '' File Under Ramones'' album. The

Groovie Ghoulies The Groovie Ghoulies were an American pop punk band from Sacramento, California, United States, whose music took inspiration from horror movies. They released numerous albums, EPs, and singles, and toured internationally. The band's name wa ...

cover the song on the Motorhead tribute album ''Built for Speed''. "R.A.M.O.N.E.S." was also covered by

the Offspring The Offspring is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Garden Grove, California, in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band currently consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Dexter Holland, Bryan "Dexter" Holland, ...

on their performance at Rock in Rio 5 on 14 September 2013. At that show,

Marky Ramone Marc Steven Bell (born July 15, 1952), better known as Marky Ramone, is an American drummer. He began playing in hard rock bands in the New York City area, notably Dust (band), Dust and Estus. He was asked to drum for punk rock band Richard Hell ...

(who was the drummer of the Ramones from 1978 to 1983, and again from 1987 to their breakup in 1996) joined them onstage to perform cover versions of "R.A.M.O.N.E.S." and " California Sun".

References

External links

Tablature
at BigBassTabs.com * {{Authority control 1991 songs Motörhead songs Ramones songs Songs about punk Songs written by Lemmy Songs written by Phil Campbell (musician) Songs written by Phil Taylor (musician) Songs written by Würzel